Humble Joyner a stabilizing force for Rebels

SPRINGFIELD - Ask Effingham County baseball coach Jim Simmons if there is a defining moment that illustrates how valuable senior Adam Joyner is to the Rebels, and Simmons immediately talks about the Region 2-AAAA playoffs.

On April 29, Effingham played Jones County in a best-of-three series. The winning team advanced to today's first round of the GHSA state playoffs, while the losing team's season ended.

Jones County won Game 1, 14-6. In Game 2, Joyner hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning, and pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Rebels to a 3-0 victory.

Game 3, which was scheduled for April 30, was rained out and rescheduled for May 3. Joyner, on three days rest, took the mound again and pitched another complete game to lead Effingham to an 8-6 victory.

"He's been a four-year starting pitcher for us," Simmons said. "The innings that we've expected from him have climbed every year and he's responded."

Simmons is hopeful that Joyner will rise to the occasion again today, when Effingham plays a best-of-three series at Northgate. The first game is at 5 p.m. and the second game is at 7. Simmons said Joyner will "definitely start one of the first two games." If necessary, a third game will be played Saturday at noon.

Joyner is primarily a fastball pitcher. The right-hander has been clocked as fast as 91 mph, and throws consistently in the mid-to-upper 80s. Joyner also mixes in a solid curveball and changeup, and he has been a stabilizing force for a team that has overcome injuries to several players en route to a 17-8-1 record.

"I didn't know how my arm would feel but, fortunately, the team and I were able to do it," Joyner said, recalling the day he pitched on three days rest. "The team was behind me the whole time and that really helped."

Team is a word Joyner frequently uses when he humbly attempts to deflect the attention generated by his athletic ability.

"I'm just another guy on the team," said Joyner, who plays first base when he's not pitching. "That's how I look at it."

Joyner's favorite major-league player is first baseman Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I like the way he plays the game," Joyner said. "He plays hard and he plays straight up. I heard him say on the TV, on ESPN, the exact same thing I just said. He said he's just another player on the team."

The ace of the Rebels' pitching staff, Joyner has an 8-0 record with a 3.70 ERA. In 51 innings, he has struck out 64 batters, walked 21 and allowed 46 hits and 27 earned runs. He has had only one no-decision.

Six of the teams Joyner has beaten are competing in the playoffs, including South Effingham and Statesboro, the Region 2-AAAA champion.

Today, Joyner will attempt to beat a Northgate team that lost to Columbus in last season's Class AAAA state championship.

"I think it would be real good for the team and the fans to get through the first round and see what we can do," said Joyner, who is being recruited by Middle Georgia, South Georgia and Gordon. "It wouldn't bother me at all to play on graduation (day). If we come out hitting as a team, everything should fall into place."

Last season, Effingham competed in Class AAAAA and lost to Jonesboro in the first round of the state playoffs.

To beat Northgate and advance to the second round, Joyner and Simmons both know it will take a team effort. With Joyner leading the way, Effingham has overcome injuries to senior shortstop Josh Wilson and senior pitchers Robert Lang and Adam Hurst.

Wilson subluxed his ankle before the season and only recently returned to the lineup. Lang and Hurst have been nagged by arm problems throughout the season, Simmons said.

Players who were instrumental at filling in while Wilson was out, and while Lang and Hurst were hampered, are freshmen pitchers Dylan Scott (2-0, 3.00 ERA), Nate Sisolak (0-1, one save) and D.J. Collins (1-0, 3.30 ERA, four saves), and junior pitcher Bill Sisolak (2-2, 20 innings pitched). Senior right fielder Joey Pittman also has provided leadership.

"We didn't ever let it (the injuries) get to us," Simmons said. "We rallied the troops and circled the wagons. I think there may have been a lot of people who had written us off because of the injuries and thought we wouldn't make the playoffs, so we're proud."

The Rebels' top four hitters in the lineup are seniors Colby Conner (.349 batting average), Hurst (.400), Wilson (.357) and Joyner (.320). Joyner has a team-high six home runs and a team-high 28 RBIs. His 24 hits are third on the team behind Hurst (30) and Conner (29). Conner, the center fielder, leads the team in runs with 36.

"We've come a long way," Joyner said. "Our hitting the first of the year wasn't very good, but we've improved a lot. We're seeing better pitches and swinging at more strikes instead of chasing pitches.

"We've practiced a lot and put more focus on pitches and picking out certain pitches we want to hit. At the first of the year, we were struggling. About the middle of the year, we started hitting the ball better and, five or six games later, Josh (Wilson) was back as the DH (designated hitter) and we just took off from there."